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A Smorgasbord Of Delight

In this episode of Nerdette podcast, we make space for incorrect grammar, ask why scientists 3D-printed a boat, and learn the three best ways to have a few people over.Mon Petit Chou Photography/monpetitchouphotography.com / Creative Commons

In this episode of Nerdette podcast, we make space for incorrect grammar, ask why scientists 3D-printed a boat, and learn the three best ways to have a few people over.Mon Petit Chou Photography/monpetitchouphotography.com / Creative Commons

A Smorgasbord Of Delight

To celebrate the approach of another wonderful two-day break, Nerdette host Greta Johnsen talked with Alison Roman, author of the new cookbook Nothing Fancy, about three ways to make sure you host the most badass dinner party possible (she prefers to call it “having people over”).

And did you know that the largest 3D printer in the world just printed the world’s largest 3D-printed boat? We talk to Habib Dagher, the executive director at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine. His team was responsible for this accomplishment, so we asked him why they did it, how much pizza it took to do it, and what it might mean for the future of innovation and manufacturing.

Plus, if you’re a grammar nerd, this episode may tick you right off. Gretchen McCulloch is the author of Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, and she explains how the internet has given us all access to the writings of normal people, which has led to more and more people writing with less formality and more creativity — and without obeying grammar rules.

Then she goes on to tell us why that’s awesome.

“It’s fun for things to change,” McCulloch said. “You don’t have to adopt personally every single new word that crosses your radar, but like, new words are cool, new words are happening, language has always changed. And having negative attitudes towards language change is often more of a reflection of negative attitudes associated with particular groups of speakers, and that’s something to sort of question in your mind.”

She also explains that “the world will be just fine if you give up your grammar vigilantism,” and that’s when we all started high-fiving each other.